Ain't It Strange
by noparty4kitty
Summary: A short fic which takes place in pre-ZA Atlanta, where Stella and Marie are spending their summer break from college house-sitting for Marie's rich aunt. Just so happens that one Daryl Dixon is part of the crew building the new house next door, and to alleviate her boredom, Marie invites him and his buddy over for some drinks... Rated M for potty-mouth and smut-tacular Dixon smut
1. Chapter 1

**So this is a prequel, but not really, to my fic "Post-Apocalyptic Dating Survival Guide," featuring Stella, Marie and the delicious Daryl Dixon. ****In the PADSG, Stella and Daryl have a conversation about how they wouldn't have looked twice at each other if they'd crossed paths in their old lives. So I decided to do an experiment and put them together to see what would happen. This** takes place in pre-ZA Atlanta (2008ish), but since Stella didn't know Daryl when he showed up in the PADSG, it's more of a "what if" kind of story. 

"Jesus Christ, it's hot here," Marie complained, fanning herself and sipping a margarita.

"Um, there is a pool _right_ there," I pointed out to her. Lifting my sunglasses, I frowned at the pinkish tint to my pale skin. I set my book down and pulled my deck chair into the shade. The two of us were quite a pair, me fair-skinned and red-haired, while her Puerto Rican genes were allowing her to toast to a nice golden brown in the blazing summer sunshine.

"Yeah," she said with a sigh. "But I'm tired of swimming already."

"You're kidding me. We just got here a week ago! How the hell can you be bored already?" We were in the Atlanta suburbs for the month, house-sitting for Marie's rich aunt. It was a pretty sweet deal for a couple of 20-year-old college kids. The house was _enormous _and luxuriously decorated, with an in-ground pool and hot tub (which we definitely weren't going to be using during this sweltering visit), movie room, pool table, and a well-stocked refrigerator _and_ bar. It was the first one built in the cul-de-sac, so we had no neighbors to bother us. On top of all that, we were also getting paid a grand _each_ for what really amounted to a nice vacation. In my mind, it couldn't get much better.

"Yeah, but there's nothing to do but swim and drink. We don't know anyone in this town, and we can't get into the bars to meet new and interesting people." If you hadn't figured out already, Marie was a party girl. We were roommates back at Ohio State, and while I was content to spend a Friday night wrapped up in one of my biology textbooks, she was constantly dragging me from party to party. I have to admit, I did have a lot more fun with her in my life. She glanced over at me, frowning. "For fuck's sake, will you put that damn book down? I can't _believe_ you signed up for a class while you were here."

I shrugged, not lifting my head from my reading. "I can get _three_ credits in one week. You can't beat that!"

"You're such a nerd," was her verdict. I didn't argue. I absolutely was a nerd, so she wasn't saying anything that I didn't already know. She was quiet for a minute, and then commented, "At least the view is nice."

I looked over at her, and then followed her line of sight to the house that was being built next door. There was a crew of tanned, shirtless construction workers up on the roof. I rolled my eyes but couldn't help smiling. "Jesus, Marie, you are _always_ thinking with your ovaries," I teased her. She was absolutely right about the view, though. While there were several pot-bellied old dudes, there was some serious eye candy who merited a nice, long stare. "Looking for a rebound guy?" Right before the end of the school year, Marie had been dumped very abruptly by the guy she'd been seeing for most of our sophomore year. Since then, she'd been keeping an eye out for just the right guy to take her mind off the situation.

I had been teasing about the rebound comment, but Marie responded seriously, "Maybe so, my dear Stella. Maybe so." She stood up. "Do you want another margarita?"

"Nah. I'm not going to remember any of this shit I'm reading for class tomorrow if I keep drinking." Marie went inside, but instead of finishing my homework, I set the book on the ground and lay back in my chair.

0000000

"We are going to have _guests!" _Marie told me excitedly, waking me from the nap I didn't realize I was taking.

"What? What are you talking about?" I said groggily. "Are Molly and Theo and those guys coming in early?" Our friends were coming to town in a couple weeks to see the Band of Horses show.

She rolled her eyes. "You haven't been asleep _that_ long. I went and talked to our neighbors!"

"Neighbors?" My brain was still fuzzy with sleep. "Wait, you mean the _construction workers_?"

"YES! And oh my God, Stella, there are a couple of _HOT-ties_ over there." She stood up, straightening the little sundress she'd put on over her bikini. "You are _so_ gonna thank me for this!"

"So let me get this straight, you just strolled on up to the construction site?"

"Yep."

"And you invited a whole bunch of strange guys over to our house?"

"Yep!"

"A house where there are just two young, single females?"

Marie saw where I was going with this. "Seriously, Stella, quit being so suspicious. You _never_ have any fun. You're like a forty-year-old trapped in a twenty-year-old's body. I don't think you've _ever_ been young."

She was kind of right about that. My life hadn't exactly been easy, not nearly as easy as Marie's, to say the least, and I had to grow up fast. I didn't have time to ruminate on that, though. "Come on," she told me. "We have to clean this place up. It's a fucking disaster."

0000000

As I was throwing the last empty beer bottle into the recycling, I heard a knock at the door. "Oh shit, they're here!" I heard Marie squeal from upstairs. "Can you let them in?"

"Yeah, yeah." I was still not really thrilled about our visitors this evening. I had actually taken the precaution of setting a baseball bat casually against the back door and slipped a butcher knife under a couch cushion. As I approached the front door, I could hear the sound of a quiet argument.

"Jesus Christ, Daryl, are ya blind? That girl is _smokin'_."

"Yeah, and fuckin' _jailbait_, I'm sure," the one who I assumed was Daryl muttered. "Have ya seen th' other one? They're _kids_."

It was really weird to hear them talking about me, and my hackles rose to hear them refer to me as a "kid." Like Marie said, I'd never _really_ been a kid, so it came off like a slur to me.

"Aw c'mon. They're at _least_ eighteen. My money's on twenty-one," the other guy replied.

"An' how the hell old are you, man? Too fuckin' old to be gettin' tangled up with college girls," Daryl grouched.

I figured I might as well let them in before Daryl convinced the other guy that their coming was a bad idea because Marie would have been _super_ pissed at me if I ruined her plans for the evening. Plastering on a grin, I threw open the door, and I shit you not, there stood two of the most _beautiful_ men I have ever laid eyes on. "Uh, h-hi," I stuttered, I'm sure sounding just like the kid I'd been accused of being. "Come on in."

Marie swooped down the stairs, hair carefully done up so as not to look done. She also had put make up on, once again taking care not to look like it. She still had that little minidress on over her bikini that made her tanned legs look a mile long. I, on the other hand, had a ratty t-shirt thrown on over my bikini, and my hair was in an _actual_ sloppy ponytail, as opposed to Marie's precisely cultivated one. I was thankful that my face was already a little pink with sunburn so at least these guys wouldn't notice my furious blush.

"Heyyy guys," Marie crooned. "Welcome to our home. The kitchen is this way. Come in and have a drink."

Daryl threw his buddy a dubious look, but they came further inside. We followed, and I glared at Marie. She just shrugged, giving me a look that said, _Maybe you should listen to me next time._

0000000

Daryl and I were sitting at the table on the deck, while Marie was in the pool, flirting like mad with his buddy, Jimmy. When I mentioned before that these guys were gorgeous, let me assure you, I wasn't lying. Jimmy was sporting a bit of a California look, even though he clearly sounded like Georgia through and through. He had longish blond hair that he had pulled back in a ponytail and dark brown eyes with ridiculously long lashes. Daryl had short, kind of spiky brown hair, about a day's worth of facial scruff, and these amazing, clear blue eyes that were currently hidden behind dark sunglasses. Both guys were tattooed, tanned, and ridiculously muscular. Not "I go to the gym every day" muscular, but the lean, defined muscles of someone who works his ass off for a living. Honest to God, in my whole life I don't think I'd ever been that close to anyone who just _oozed_ sex like these two did.

There was a half-eaten pizza, a couple of empty beer cans, and about a mile of silence between Daryl and me. Despite his jaw-dropping gorgeousness, I was still irritated with him over his "just a kid" comment from before, so I didn't make any effort at conversation. He didn't seem too much for talking, either, so I was considering going inside to finish my reading for class tomorrow when we were suddenly distracted by Marie squealing in the pool. Jimmy had grabbed her around the waist and was pretending he was going to dunk her, and naturally a minute later they were making out.

I just shook my head slightly. _Surprised it took that long_, I thought ruefully. As you have probably gathered, Marie was not one to beat around the bush.

"Y'know, you might wanna warn your friend 'bout what she's gettin' herself into," Daryl commented.

"What're you talking about?" I asked. I had a feeling I knew where he was going with his remark, and my annoyance with him grew again.

"Just that, well, Jimmy's a grown-ass man. Not sure if she quite gets what's on his mind." Daryl reached into his pocket, pulling out a pack of cigarettes. "Ya mind?"

I shook my head, rolling my eyes at how completely he misjudged Marie. "I can guarantee you that Marie knows _exactly_ what she's getting into. _She's_ a grown ass woman. She doesn't need me or anyone else to tell her what to do." I guess my voice must have given away my anger because Daryl just stared at me from behind his sunglasses, slowly blowing smoke out of his mouth. I probably should have just shut up at that, but my mouth got away from me, as usual. "We're all _adults_ here. We're allowed to decide for ourselves who we do or don't want to fuck."

He was definitely surprised at my choice of words, and he sat back in his chair, a smirk spreading across his face. An unbelievably sexy smirk which made me blush furiously, in spite of myself. "Got quite a mouth on ya, College Girl," he said, with just a hint of admiration in his voice.

I stood up quickly. "I'm gonna get another drink. Want one?"

Smirk still firmly in place, he said, "Sure, 'nother beer sounds good."

I went into the kitchen, grateful for the air conditioning to cool my fiery face. I was irritated with Daryl and also with myself for being so fucking attracted to this guy. Being an aspiring scientist, I prided myself of being logical and straightforward. And here I was in that oh-so stereotypical situation of being drawn to someone who also pissed me off. Too bad Marie was otherwise occupied or I'd have her talk some sense into me. _Shit, what am I thinking? She'd tell me to get over myself and sleep with him anyway.__  
_

Returning to the deck, I handed Daryl his beer and sat back down in my chair. The sun was sinking below the horizon, and I now had no excuse for hiding behind my sunglasses. Daryl's demeanor had changed completely. He was now slouched in his chair, feet stretched out in front of him. Even though he clearly was more at ease, I still felt uncomfortable.

"So where are y'all from?" Daryl drawled, lighting up another cigarette.

_Jesus Christ, can this guy get any fucking sexier? _"Ohio. We go to school in Columbus." I really needed something to occupy myself, so I bummed a cigarette off of him.

"You a smoker?" he asked, pushing the pack and a lighter across the table at me.

Honestly, I rarely smoked. I probably smoked more pot than cigarettes. It just seemed like it might make me feel better to have something to do with my hands. "Yeah, sometimes when I drink."

The goddamn sexy fucking smirk came back. "Oh, so you're one a _those_ kinda girls, then?" he teased. I bristled but didn't say anything, just taking a draw off the cigarette and hoping not to have a coughing fit. "Aww, don't take me so serious. I was just kiddin'."

Marie disconnected from Jimmy's face long enough to yell to us, "Why don't you guys get into the fucking pool instead of just sitting there like a couple of assholes?"

Daryl chuckled. "Do they teach you _all _to talk like that in college or somethin'?"

"Like I want a fucking ringside seat for the face-sucking," I yelled back.

Marie said something to Jimmy that I couldn't hear, but I got the gist of it when they got out of the pool. "The pool is all yours," she said with a little bow, pulling Jimmy into the house behind her. For his part, Jimmy looked like a guy who had just won the lottery on a ticket he'd forgotten he'd bought.

Daryl and I smoked and sipped our drinks in silence for a few minutes. "Soooo..." I said finally, "how about this crazy hot weather we're having?"

He laughed, a genuine laugh this time. It had a really nice sound to it. "Yeah, how 'bout them Braves?"

"They're looking hella good this year!" I doubt he expected me to have something to say about the Braves, but man did I love baseball.

"You like the Braves?" Daryl said, eyeing me curiously.

"Oh hell no. It's the Reds all the way. I grew up in Lexington, Kentucky, so they are the closest thing to a home team we had." I leaned back in my chair, finally starting to relax around him.

"They're havin' a pretty good year, too, ain't they?"

"Yeah, not looking too shabby," I replied. We talked baseball for a little while and then lapsed into silence again. Standing up, I pulled off my t-shirt. "You want to go swimming?"

Daryl shook his head. "Didn't know I was goin' to be comin' to a pool party tonight, so I didn't bring nothin' to swim in."

"Oh, you could just swim in your under..." And once again, my face was beet red. This time, I at least could hide under the cover of the evening twilight. I turned around and dove into the pool. I stayed under until I felt my skin cool down, and then floated on my back, staring at the stars. I thought about Daryl sitting at the table, imagining that it would probably be pretty fucking nice to kiss him if I could just quit embarrassing myself long enough to do it. It had been _ages_ since I'd gotten laid. I dated a guy freshman year but was single all this year, and I was no Marie. I wasn't the kind of girl who could just pick up a guy at a bar and bring him home that night. But maybe I could be... Marie was always encouraging me to loosen up, not be so serious, have some fun. That was her general attitude about life, and she was upstairs reaping the benefits of that carefree attitude.

My train of thought was interrupted by the sound of a belt buckle hitting the deck and then the splash of Daryl jumping into the pool. My stomach tightened as I imagined pulling a Marie and bravely swim over to him and... _But fuuuuck, how embarrassing would it be if he wasn't interested?_ Then I began to have the distinct feeling of his eyes on me. I snuck a peek out of the corner of my eye, and he _was_ looking at me. Of course the minute he met my stare, he busied himself with taking a swig of his beer. _Now or never_. Screwing up my courage, I swam over to him, and before he could say or do anything, I kissed him.

Daryl was reluctant at first but quickly warmed to the idea. And oh how right I had been in thinking it would be so awesome to kiss him. I opened my mouth against his, tentatively touching his tongue with mine. He tasted so amazing, smoky and somehow sweet. I pressed up against him, and he slipped his hands around my waist. His hands were broad and calloused and made me feel tiny and delicate. I could feel his heartbeat quicken and mine sped up to match it. Then through the thin fabric of his boxers, I could feel him start to get hard so I pushed my hips up against his.

He tensed up and pulled away slightly. "Oh shit, Stella. This is such a bad fuckin' idea."

It was like I'd been slapped. "Oh. Oh, sorry. I-"

"Hey man, we gotta go!" Jimmy came out the back door, followed by Marie who was staggering slightly. She had a blissful expression on her face, and I don't think I've ever been so fucking jealous of her in my life. "Shit, dude, sorry! Never mind. I can-"

Daryl was already getting out of the pool. "Nah, it's cool. Lemme get changed real quick." He disappeared into the house.

Jimmy threw me an apologetic look. "Sorry 'bout that. We can stick around for a lil while, if ya want."

I just shook my head, floating back out to sea again. Well, to the center of the pool, but I would have been happy for a whale to come up and swallow me up right about now.

Daryl returned in a minute. "Thanks," he said to Marie. "Had a good time. See ya 'round, College Girl!" he called to me. I resisted the urge to flip him off, just giving him a half-hearted wave instead.

"Had a great time," Jimmy said to Marie.

"Me, too. You guys can come back any time. We're here all month," Marie replied.

Miserably, I floated, listening to their car start up and then pull away. Marie came and sat on the edge of the pool. "So I guess things didn't work out as well for you as they did for me, huh?" she said sympathetically.

I went over to the pool steps and sat down. "How come_ I_ got stuck with the one with a conscience?" I complained.

"I guess like attracts like," Marie replied philosophically. "We can try again tomorrow, or another day. They _are_ right next door."

"Ugh, I don't think I could handle that kind of embarrassment again!" I got out of the pool, wrapping myself in a towel. "I'm going to bed. I have fucking _school_ in the morning."


	2. Chapter 2

**Stella attempts to play it cool.**

"Uggghhhh, I am _never_ getting this fucking paper done," I groaned. I was down to about sixteen hours until my final essay was due for class, and I was getting nowhere with it. The class was European History, and the essay, which I'd been making _no_ progress on all week, was to analyze arguments and practices concerning religious toleration from the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries, based on a bunch of snippets from what I assumed were musty old books. I know I mentioned before that science was my thing - specifically, biology - so it was hard for me to muster much enthusiasm for history, especially pre-World War II history. I sat back in my chair and rubbed my eyes.

Marie came tearing out of the house, but the heat and humidity stopped her like a brick wall. "How can you _work_ out here?"

"Your mother is Puerto Rican, for fuck's sake! It seems like a tolerance for heat should be in your _genes_," I replied. "I think being outside helps me concentrate." Although it was obviously not helping at all today.

"_Anyway_, I've got great news!" she crowed. "The guys are coming over again!"

"You mean Daryl and Jimmy?" We hadn't seen them for a couple of days, and I'd assumed that _that_ little encounter was over. I was grateful not to have an encore for my embarrassment, even though it was apparent that Marie was majorly disappointed. "_Both_ of them are coming over?" She nodded. "Why would Daryl even bother? I guess he must like to fight off the advances of a horny college girl or something," I muttered, slamming my book shut with irritation.

Marie had a slightly guilty look on her face. "Wellll, Daryldoesn'thaveacarrightnow soheandJimmyrideheretogether," she said, trying to get it over with quickly. Just as rapidly, she added, "But look at it as another opportunity to show Daryl what he's missing!"

"Oh, that sounds like _loads_ of fun," I grumbled. "What's the point of that?"

"If nothing else, you can prove him wrong about calling you a kid," she pointed out. "Act like it doesn't bother you, water under a bridge and all that shit. Just make sure you look stunning when you do it. And you know _I'm _just the person to help you out with that."

Marie was generally pretty nuts, but every so often, she had what I had to admit was a good idea. Of course, as good as her plan was, _I_ was the biggest liability. "So when he says shit about my age, I can't go off on him? What if I say something totally embarrassing again?"

She sighed. "You laugh it off! Act like it was a joke! You are a pro at that usually."

"Yeah, but something about this guy gives me fucking scrambled brains." I frowned, then looked at my open laptop. "And what about his goddamn essay? I have to have it to the professor by ten tomorrow! My dad paid good money to get me into this class; he's going to be super-pissed if I don't get a decent grade."

Marie just shrugged. This was one area of my life that she never could fathom: why money was such a big deal. She came from a securely upper-middle-class family and couldn't seem to grasp what it was like to struggle. "You're a brilliant chicky," she said. "You'll come up with something. Now come on."

0000000

I was tapping away on my laptop agai, after having gone through another one of Marie's makeovers. As her roommate, I was subjected to them on a pretty regular basis, with her frequently marveling at my inability to dress myself appropriately. This time she had outfitted me in a navy blue, knee length knit dress that had a deep V in the front and back. I'm sure she filled it out a _lot_ better than my skinny ass did, but I did feel pretty damn cute. I still had my bikini on underneath because Marie advised me that a dive in the pool might be a graceful exit for any uncomfortable situations. "All he'll remember is your cute ass in a couple of inches of green spandex." Even though she gave me a hard time, she was a pro at building my confidence. Marie had pulled my hair back into a smooth ponytail, given me just a touch of waterproof mascara, and handed me a pair of silver earrings that were a chain of small hoops that brushed my neck every time I moved my head. Sipping a mojito, I felt pretty confident that, if nothing else, at least I _looked_ good. In this particular area of expertise, Marie was a _master._

My renewed sense of confidence seemed to have a stimulating effect on my brain, too, as I was suddenly able to string together some sentences for my essay, and then suddenly, I was looking at two full pages and was starting on a third. _Only three more to go_, I thought. I was actually so wrapped up in what I was writing that when I looked up and saw Daryl standing there staring at me, I jumped, knocking my glass over. _Just laugh it off_, I reminded myself as Daryl reached a hand out, smoothly catching the glass before it hit the deck. So I laughed, hoping like I sounded like I could care less that I'd just embarrassed the shit out of myself again with my clumsiness. "Jesus Christ, Daryl, you scared the hell out of me!"

He had that motherfucking _ridiculous_, goddamn sexy smirk on his face, "Sorry, I was just seein' how long it took you to notice me standin' here. Must be somethin' interestin' on your laptop there."

I could feel him staring at me from behind his sunglasses, and I suddenly felt very conspicuous, all dolled up like I was. _Play it cool. _Mopping up the rest of my drink with a towel, I was grateful that it hadn't gotten on my book _or_ my precious laptop. It was kind of a beater at this point - a hand me down from a cousin - but it was all I had. "Not really. I have to write about religious tolerance in the sixteenth century for this class I'm taking."

As I was saying it, Daryl began to yawn involuntarily. "Shit, sorry. I really didn't do that on purpose," he said sheepishly. "Had a long day."

That made me laugh for real this time. "Want a drink?" As I went inside, I stopped to ask, "Where's Jimmy?"

Daryl chuckled. "Didn't even make it through the house."

Back out at the table with a couple of beers between us, I thanked him for bringing more. He raised an eyebrow at me. "Yeah, looked like you were gettin' a little low. I'm guessin' that y'all ain't quite old enough to get 'em yourself." While I tried to think of a witty response to that, he leaned in closer to study my face. Well, I assumed that was what he was doing. I couldn't exactly tell _what_ was going on behind those sunglasses. "I'm thinkin'...nineteen."

"Twenty," I snapped, and then took a deep breath. "How old are _you_, old man? From the way you talk, I'm guessing you must be nearing forty."

Leaning back in his chair, Daryl lit a cigarette. "Twenty-nine."

_Holy shit, the man is almost_ _thirty_. I played off my surprise, though. "Jesus, you act like you're on death's door or something." I noticed that the music had stopped, so I went over to where my iPod was plugged into its dock to pick something else out. "What do you like to listen to?" I called over to him, grateful to have an excuse to change the subject.

"Whatever's on. Classic rock, I guess. Y'know, Zepplin, the Stones, AC/DC. That kinda shit," he said noncommittally.

"Hmmm..." I didn't have any of those on my iPod, but the music geek in me started to get excited because I was going to get to play my favorite game: Matchmaker, Music Edition. My tastes ran mostly to indie bands but, if I do say so myself, I had a pretty high average of pairing a new band with a would-be listener. "Do you like the Beatles?"

"I'm a human being, ain't I?" he laughed. _Damn, I love the sound of that laugh_.

"OK, you might like these guys." I put on the newest Dr. Dog album. "They have kind of a classic rock sound, and the harmonies remind me of the Beatles." This was the hardest part of the matchmaker game for me because I had to force myself not to just sit there, staring expectantly at the new listener, waiting for a reaction. I heard my cell phone buzz with an incoming text message. Grabbing my phone, I saw that it was Marie: _how's it going down there?_

Me:_ fine__. don't text & fuck._

Marie:_ lol. not fucking. yet. watching a movie. want to order indian food?_

I looked up to see Daryl watching me. "Sorry, it's Marie. She says they're just watching a movie," I explained quickly, as his eyebrows shot skyward. "Do you like Indian food?"

"Uhhh, Indian? Like dot-not-feather? Never had it." From his tone, it didn't sound like he was very interested in changing that.

"Do you like spicy food?"

"Yeah."

"OK, well then today's your lucky day." I texted Marie: _we're down for some indian. want me call it in? _Marie said yes, giving me their orders, so I opened my laptop. "I don't know why she doesn't just do this. She's the one with the fucking iPhone," I complained good-naturedly to Daryl, even though I was thrilled that for all his "you're just a kid" bullshit, this was something I had on him that he'd never done before. Then a thought occurred to me. "Are you cool to drive? I have a car, but probably shouldn't be driving right now." I was far from drunk, but well into the buzzed stage.

"Yeah, sure." He looked down at his clothes, disheveled from working all day. "Might get your car kinda dirty though."

I grinned at him. "Trust me, it won't matter. When you see my car, you will understand just how much it doesn't matter. So on a scale of meh to fire-breathing dragon, how spicy do you want it?"

"Where does screamin' in pain fit in on the scale?"

"That would probably be a nine. I'll order it, but don't come crying to me when you burst into flames." I called in our order, taking the initiative to pick something for Daryl since, to my immense satisfaction, he had no idea what he was doing. I grabbed my purse and my iPod. "You ready?" I asked, handing him my car keys. We walked out to the street where my car was parked. I couldn't leave it in the driveway because it leaked oil, and I didn't want to stain the fancy finished concrete. It was a 13 year old Subaru station wagon that was probably more rust than steel at this point, held together with bumper stickers, duct tape, and coat hangers. But I had bought it with my own money, and I _treasured_ that car.

Daryl laughed when he saw it. "This is _your_ car? Thought somebody jus' left it here and hoped it'd be towed away."

"Shhhh! Don't say that too loud. You'll hurt her feelings!" I joked. It was blazing hot as we got in, despite the fact that I'd left all the windows down. "Sorry, no a/c. But we'll have music!" I had sprung for a new stereo so I was able to plug in my iPod. _Must. Have. Music_. "Oh, it's kinda hard to-" I began to tell him, but he was able to start it up with no problem. I kept the radio low on the drive to the restaurant so that I could read him the directions I jotted down. Even though he worked in this neighborhood every day, he clearly didn't spend too much time here otherwise.

"So how far do you live from here?" I asked him.

"'Bout a half hour," Daryl replied, keeping his eyes on the road.

I was suddenly possessed by an immense curiosity about his life. "Do you live in the city or out in the suburbs? Turn left at the next light."

"Edge of the suburbs, I guess. Share a place with my brother," he offered. Stopping at red light, he glanced over at me. "How 'bout you?"

I told him that when I wasn't in school, or house-sitting for Marie's rich relatives, I lived with my dad and two younger brothers in a suburb of Lexington. Then we pulled up to the restaurant, so I hopped out and got the food, gratefully accepting a ten from Daryl to pay for his dinner. Back in the car, the smell from the bags made my mouth water.

"Definitely does smell good, I'll give ya that," Daryl commented. "Guess college kids aren't much for cookin'?"

I winced at the word "kids" again. Apparently, I wasn't being too successful at making him forget about how much younger I was than him. Choosing to ignore my annoyance, as per Marie's directives, I told him, "I was the default chef in our family. I spent so much time in the kitchen when I was growing up, I'd be happy if I never had to cook again." I felt an edge of bitterness creep into my voice, so I finished lightly with, "I couldn't ever make anything this good anyway."

Daryl shot me a curious look but didn't pry. "So ya like Indian food. What other kinda crazy stuff do ya eat?" We spent the rest of the time in the car with me waxing rhapsodic about the exquisite deliciousness of sushi, Korean barbecue, and _pasteles_ which were green bananas stuffed with this amazing pork filling that I'd had one time when I visited Marie at home. While he chuckled at my euphoric descriptions, I could tell he was genuinely impressed at my level of experience, at least where food was concerned, and that made me very, very happy.

0000000

"So what did you think?" I asked Daryl, after he finally quit sweating from the heat of his dinner. "I tried to warn him," I told Marie and Jimmy, "but he wouldn't listen."

Daryl took another swig of beer before he answered. "Dunno. I couldn't taste anythin' by th' end."

Marie suggested we go swimming and the guys were amenable to that, so while they went to change, Marie and I made some more drinks. _Just one more_, I thought to myself, _and then I'll come in and finish that fucking essay._ "So how's it going?" she whispered._  
_

"How's _what_ going?" I hissed back. "Sitting around talking to him? Because that's all that's going to happen tonight."

Marie looked like she was going to say something else, but Daryl emerged from the downstairs bathroom shirtless and wearing an old pair of shorts. I handed him another beer, and Marie and I just smiled as he went outside. "Ow, Marie! You're going to leave a fucking bruise!" She had her fingers digging into my wrist.

"Holy fucking shit. Did you _see_ him? I have never, in my entire fucking life, seen arms like that!" she panted and took a giant swig of her drink. "Oh my God, you have _got_ to bang that man." She continued to ogle him through the window. "Like a fucking screen door in a hurricane."

"Easier said than done, my dear," I replied ruefully. At that point, Jimmy had returned, so we took our drinks and headed out to the pool.

Marie and Jimmy got cozy at one end of the pool while Daryl and I sat a respectable distance away from each other at the other end. I was trying to keep my sunglasses on as long as possible because it would allow me to stare at the arms that Marie had just been drooling over, which he had stretched out along the edge of the pool.

"Hey Stella, can you change the music? Put on something more upbeat. Put on that MGMT album or something," Marie instructed me.

"_You _can't change the music?" I bitched at her.

"You're closer," she replied, so I sighed and got out and went to do her bidding. As I exited the pool, Marie said to the guys, "Stella's got a pretty fucking nice ass, doesn't she."

"Jesus Christ, Marie! Shut the fuck up!" I was so embarrassed, I was relieved that I couldn't see Jimmy's or especially Daryl's reaction to that. "Oh, you know what, there's no MGMT on here? Only My Morning Jacket!" Marie _hated_ My Morning Jacket. I got back in the pool, glaring at her, and taking a big fat drink out of my glass so I could avoid looking at the guys.

We sat in stony silence for a few minutes until Marie grabbed Jimmy's hand and dragged him out of the pool. "C'mon, Jimmy. We can leave these two to their hippie jam band." She stuck out her tongue at me, and they went inside.

Daryl and I hung out there for a few minutes, continuing the silence. "Fuck, sorry about Marie," I said at the same time as Daryl commented, "I'm diggin' this music."

Well, that completely derailed my embarrassment. "Really?"

"Yeah, it's kinda cool for starin' up at the stars," Daryl said, his head tilted back. "Be good to listen to when you're high."

There is no bigger turn on to a music nerd than complimenting them on album that they picked out. I _glowed_ with pleasure. "Yeah, that would be pretty awesome. Shit, I seriously have to write this fucking paper. I need to not even finish this drink," I told him, sucking down the dregs._  
_

"You don't have to babysit me," Daryl said with a smirk.

"I've got plenty of time," I replied with a casualness that was totally fake. After a second, my sense of responsibility returned. "But yeah, I need to go finish that goddamn paper. Sorry." Daryl shrugged, smiling slightly. "You want to come inside and watch a movie or something? I can multi-task." Daryl said, sure, whatever, and got out of the pool. I went upstairs to get out of my wet bikini, trying to ignore the noises coming out of Marie's bedroom. I ended up back in shorts and a t-shirt, giving up the facade that Marie had created for me. Daryl was in the media room when I came down, back in dry clothes as well.

"Jesus Christ, never seen a room like this in someone's _house_ before," Daryl commented, settling into the plush sectional. "This room is bigger than my whole fuckin' place."

"Yeah, me neither," I replied. "It's kinda ridiculous, but whatever." I checked out the massive selection of DVDs. "Can you narrow down what kind of movies you like? Adventure, comedy, horror, _romance_?" I asked, giving a goofy emphasis on the word "romance."

"Doesn't matter to me. Comedy, maybe?" Daryl suggested, yawning again.

I chuckled. "Are you even going to make it through a movie?" He shrugged. "Here, how about _Shaun of the Dead_. Comedy and horror all rolled into one."

"Sounds good." Daryl lay down on the couch, and I sat in the other corner, stretching out my legs and opening my laptop.

0000000

"Fuck dude, wake up. We gotta go." Jimmy was shaking Daryl's shoulder. I must have dozed off, too, because I was laying in the curve of the couch, my foot resting on Daryl's head. With a sleepy twinge of happiness, I realized Daryl's hand was closed around my ankle.

But that quickly ended as he sleepily sat up. "Whaaaat? What the fuck time is it? Where are we goin'?" Daryl asked, befuddled.

"It's like 2 a.m., dude," Jimmy told him.

"Can't we just crash here?" Daryl started to resettle himself on the couch. "I'm fuckin' tiiiiired."

"C'mon, man. Get the hell up. You know I need to get home." Jimmy flipped a light on, and I groaned and covered my eyes. "Sorry, Stella."

Daryl groaned and sat up. "Fuck, man." He finally got up. "See ya, College Girl" he said to me, turning the light out again. I tried to get up but in the end decided it was too much work, and I just slept on the couch that night.


	3. Chapter 3

**I think this is the funnest chapter I've ever written. Stella makes some major - MAJOR! - progress.**

"Fuck! God_damn_ mother_fucking_ piece of _shit_ car!" I pounded my fist into the steering wheel. Try as I might, I couldn't get my damn car started. The engine chugged and chugged, but the fucking thing would _not_ turn over. I had gotten _no_ sleep last night, my final essay was complete garbage, I was running late for class, and now my fucking car wouldn't start. I turned the key viciously, slamming my foot on the gas pedal. "Come on you fucking whore! Oh my fucking _God_, you goddamn bitch, start!"

"Need some help?"

I jumped, banging my head on the ceiling of the car. "Holy mother of God, Daryl, you scared the living shit out of me!" Daryl was leaning in the passenger side window, extremely amused by my tirade of profanity at my car. "Why the hell are you always sneaking up on me?!"

"Ya really shouldn't talk to her like that," he teased. "Prob'ly why she's not startin' for ya."

"Oh shut up. Can you help, or are you just here to harass me?" I grumbled at him.

"Pop the hood." I did, and he stuck his head in to check out the situation. "Hang on. Lemme grab a coupla tools." He was gone for a minute, leaving me to marvel at the sexiness of a man who can fix things - not like Daryl needed any help in the sexiness department. All the guys I knew were hopeless when it came to anything with a motor. He returned with a wrench and a screwdriver and set to work. I got out to watch, not because I had any idea what he was doing, but because I knew his being bent over the engine would definitely be something worth seeing. Let me tell you, it certainly helped lift my foul mood, that's for damn sure. "OK, try startin' it now," he told me.

I got back in, turned the key, gave it a little gas and it started right up. Daryl dropped the hood closed with a thunk. "Jesus, you are handy to have around," I said to him as he came around to the window again. "Thanks. You totally saved my ass." He stood there for a second, looking in the window at me, and I suddenly realized he was _nervous_ about something. This was an intriguing development so I just looked at him, eyebrows raised, waiting for him to say whatever it was he was trying to get out.

"So, uh, the Braves are in town this weekend. You wanna go?" Daryl asked, his gaze on the gear shift.

I don't know what I was expecting to come out of his mouth, but that sure as hell was _not_ it. "Oh, uh, sure." I stuttered. "Yeah, absolutely!"

"Cool. Game is tomorrow at 4:20. I can come pick you up 'round 3:30?" Now that I'd accepted, his usual easy confidence was back.

I smiled at him. "I'll see you then. Now I have got to get my ass to class; I'm so fucking late as it is. See you tomorrow."

"See ya," Daryl replied and loped back over to the construction site.

I watched his butt in my mirror until he was out of sight, then immediately called Marie. I was pulling out of the cul-de-sac when she finally picked up with a sleepy, "WHAT?"

"Holy shit, Marie, you are not going to _believe_ what just happened."

0000000

I was letting Marie do my make-up and hair, but under some very strict guidelines. "I'm going to a fucking _baseball game_, not a cocktail party, remember."

"I know, I know," Marie said. "Going for the natural look, don't worry. I don't understand why you won't wear a cute dress at least."

"Nope, tank top and shorts," I insisted. "Which reminds me, you need to slather some sunscreen on for me so I don't fry."

"Good thinking. So do you think you'll finally be able to seal the deal? I mean, he must be interested if he asked you out." She frowned at me for a second, pulling the pins out of my hair and starting over with it.

"I guess? I don't know. He knows I like baseball, so maybe he's just being friendly," I said doubtfully.

"Well, I can say that he was _totally_ checking out your ass the other night when I made you get out of the pool," she told me.

"Yeah, only because you made such a big deal about it," I pointed out, but was secretly kind of excited to hear that. "So what do you think of _your_ older man?"

Now Marie laughed. "Jimmy's gorgeous and a sexual Jedi master, but good lord the guy is a fucking box of _rocks_."

"At least the sex is good. Are you learning anything to use on the boys back at school?" I tried to get a glimpse of myself in the mirror, but Marie planted herself in the way.

"Oh hell yeah. They are going to be lined up around the _block_." She stepped out of the way. "OK, now you can look."

"Shit, Marie, you have done it again." She had twisted strands of my hair all around my head, and everything was pulled back into a messy bun. The make-up really was perfect for an afternoon at a game. A little mascara, a little powder, a little tinted lip gloss. "Perfect."

0000000

So I was on the way to a Braves game with Daryl, trying to determine if this was actually a date. Under normal circumstances, I would have assumed that, yes, what we were doing would qualify as a date, but I still had no idea how to read him. I thought I might have hit upon a subtle way to find out. "So, how much were the tickets?" I asked, grabbing my purse.

"Damn, you musta never been on a date with a Southern boy before. We don't do that 'dutch' shit 'round these parts," Daryl informed me.

_Perfect_. "Oh, OK, cool." _What to talk about, what to talk about?_ "What's your last name? I just realized I don't even know that about you."

"Dixon," was his response. "What's yours?"

"Marshall." _ Well, that was a conversational dead end_. As my nerves began to act up, my mouth began to run. "Daryl Dixon,"I said. "DAryl DIXon." Daryl glanced at me curiously out of the corner of his eye. "It sounds like the name of the regular guy alter ego for a superhero. DARYL DIXON," I stated in a TV voiceover kind of voice. _Jesus Christ, why can't I just fucking shut up?_

Daryl just laughed."Yeah, right, Redneck Superman."

Unfortunately, his laughter only encouraged my weirdness. "Faster than a 1985 Mustang! More powerful than a fifth of Jack Daniels! Able to leap a double-wide trailer in a single bound! It's Redneck Superman!" Then I winced, realizing that I may have gone a little too far.

But he was cracking up now, which was a truly glorious thing. "Have ya been drinkin' already?"

"Watch as Redneck Superman keeps greater Atlanta safe from..." My train of thought was suddenly catastrophically derailed. I had just discovered that merging on the interstate with Daryl Dixon was like making the jump to light speed in the Millenium Falcon. The cars that we had been keeping a nice, sensible pace with quickly turned into little streaks of light as we flew past them. And if you've never been on the interstate in Atlanta, let me assure you is a complete shit show anyway, with about a zillion lanes and people going every which way at the last minute, which only added to my terror. I was rendered speechless and watched helplessly while we raced up to a mere fraction of a centimeter from the bumper of the car in front of us and then whipped around them without so much as a turn signal or a glance over the shoulder. Accompanying this Indy 500-style maneuvering was a steady stream of profanity hurled at the cars that made the mistake of getting into our lane.

"Goddamn fuckin' slow-ass motherfucker! Stay in your fuckin' lane you piece of shit!" Then in a regular conversational tone: "So what were you sayin' 'bout Redneck Superman? You got a weird sense a' humor, Funny Girl." He actually _took his eyes off the road_ to glance over at me, and I covered my face with my hands. "Hey, you OK?"

"Yeah," I said weakly. "It's just...can you..._holyfuckingshit_!" I squealed as I saw brake lights in front of us. Throwing my arms up over my head, I ducked down in my seat.

Daryl just swung over into the next lane, casual as can be. "Motherfuckers need to learn how t' MERGE, assholes!" he shouted through the glass. Then he said to me with a chuckle, "Guess you're not useta Atlanta highways," and he put his hand on my leg(!) for a microsecond, squeezing it.

Now I wasn't sure if my dizziness was from that way too brief physical contact or his completely batshit crazy driving. Thankfully, we were nearing our exit, so once we raced up past the line of ballpark traffic that was building up on the exit ramp and zipped in in front of a semi, we slowed down to a sane pace. Of course, after witnessing that little stunt on top of being mere seconds away from a fiery death for most of the drive here, I was seriously questioning why I agreed to go out with Daryl in the first place. He managed to park the car without it turning into a brawl with any other drivers, and we joined the throngs of people heading into the ballpark.

"This is what I hate 'bout these fuckin' games. Too many fuckin' dumbasses," he muttered to me, as we were trapped behind a line of teenage girls who were strolling along with their noses glued to their cell phones. He grabbed my hand and we went on a ride very similar to the one that we had just taken in the car. I tried not to make eye contact with any of the people who threw annoyed glances at us as we wove our way through the crowd. When we made it to the gate and Daryl dropped my hand to fish the tickets out of his pocket, it dawned on me, _shit, he was holding my hand_. Despite my irritation with him, I had to work hard not to grin at my realization.

After about a mile of walking, we reached our seats in the outfield pavilion. Daryl turned to me and asked the question I'd been dreading since it occurred to me this morning that I would not be able to drink while we were here: "Ya want a beer or somethin'?"

It wasn't that I needed a drink to get through this date, but I didn't want anything to remind him that I was, in fact, a _lot_ younger than him. I tried to be casual when I said, "Just water sounds good." Which would have sufficed, but then I had to go and add, "Don't want to get dehydrated or anything. Ha-ha!" I cringed slightly as I could see, even with his face half hidden by sunglasses that he had just recalled that I _was_, in fact, a lot younger than him.

"A'right. Be back in a sec," he told me and began working his way back through the crowd.

"Ugh," I said out lout as I flopped down in my seat. It was blazingly hot, and I was glad that I'd remembered to pack my sunblock. I had wanted to bring the giant beach hat that I liked to wear on days like today, but Marie had threatened that I would come home to find all of my shit out on the curb if I left the house in that thing. My phone beeped, and I dug it out. It was Marie, checking to see how things were going.

Me: _he went to get a beer. water for me of course. ugh so embarrassing_

Marie: _can't be that bad. talk about anything interesting on the drive_

Me: _OMG he is such an asshole driver. wondering if that's a sign of a major character deficit_

Marie: _yr not looking for a bf just fun. don't forget that_

Then Daryl was back, so I shoved my phone in my purse. "Updatin' your Facebook status?" he asked, handing me my water.

I had to laugh at that. "On that piece of shit? Hardly."

"Pretzel or hot dog?" he asked, holding out the tray. I took the pretzel because it was the less messy of the two, and I was sure I'd be wearing the mustard if I went with the hot dog.

A baseball game is actually a really good place for a first date. You don't have to sit there staring awkwardly at each other, and there's a built in distraction in front of you. It's also kind of funny, if you're a person with a weird sense of humor like me, to be talking about your college major and then suddenly violently cursing a bad call by the umpire. The game was against the Washington Nationals who I could care less about, so it was pretty easy for me to root for the Braves. I think Daryl was kind of surprised that I hadn't been lying about being a baseball fan because he looked fairly pleased that I cheered and cursed just as much as he did.

Between the screaming and yelling, I was able to get to know him a little better, which helped me forget about his assholish driving. I found out that Daryl liked to hunt and race cars (no surprise there) on a dirt track in the area. "Spring an' fall, I spend as much time as I can out campin'," he told me.

"Oh man, that's cool. Camping is the reason why I decided to buy my car. The four-wheel drive is awesome when you get farther off-road, and I've got a ton of space to stow all my gear." I was happy to see the hint of another approving smile pass over his face. "You ever go to the Red River Gorge?"

Daryl shook his head. "Don't get out of Georgia a whole lot, actually."

"If you ever are in Kentucky for any reason, you _have_ to camp there. It's amazing. It's so undeveloped and uncommercialized, and it's super easy to find a spot where you are totally off the beaten path." I laughed. "And there's a shitload of hippies if you forget to pack your weed." I figured it didn't hurt to throw that in and maybe make myself seem a little less innocent.

He just chuckled at that. "You're gettin' a little pink there, Funny Girl. You wanna find some shade?"

I just noticed that he'd given me a new nickname._ Wonder if that's a good sign? _"Nah, I brought sunblock." I spread some across my nose and forehead. "Do you mind getting my shoulders? This is a time when some of Marie's Puerto Rican genes would come in handy."

Daryl was happy to help, and it was quite delightful to feel his hands slide across my shoulders. Apparently, I left a streak on my face because when he was done, he took his thumb and swiped it gently across my cheek. Because this _was_ Daryl, the move was somehow so _sexual _that I had to fight the inexplicable urge to bite his thumb.

By the seventh inning, it became apparent that the Braves were never going to win this one, so Daryl suggested we head out. The walk back to the car was much less frenetic than the race to the ballpark. He took my hand again, and I was able to appreciate this time how nice it felt; calloused and broad, it made me feel quite dainty which, let's face it, is always a sweet feeling. "So how did you get into racing cars? I'm guessing something about 'a need for speed'?"

"Yeah, somethin' like that. My brother got me into it. He's got a couple old cars that he souped up for racin'. Y'ever been to a dirt track race before?" he said with a smirk which indicated that he pretty much knew the answer.

I laughed. "Nope. Not exactly something that suburban kids get into, I guess."

"Too bad you're not going to be 'round too much longer or I'd take ya. I don't have a car t' race right now, but it's fun t' watch it just the same," he said as he opened the car door for me.

_There is definitely something to be said for dating a Southern boy_. I couldn't remember the last time - if there ever was one - when a date opened a door for me. "Yeah, too bad..."

0000000

Parked in the driveway at home, I was getting ready to ask Daryl if he wanted to go for a swim when he leaned over and kissed me. _Oh hell yeah. _When he pulled away, I was panting. Both of us were covered with a sheen of sweat, but that was most likely due to the fact that it was about a million degrees in the truck. "Swimmin' sounds good," he said, reading my mind.

Inside the front door, I had to fight the urge to lock it behind me, in case he changed his mind and decided he'd rather go home. I had the weird feeling that I'd somehow managed to lure this gorgeous wild animal into my house, and if I wasn't careful, I'd scare him off. He headed out the back to the pool, and I grabbed us a couple of beers. By the time I got outside, he was in the pool, his shorts and t-shirt in a pile. I handed him a beer and was about to go back inside to change when the thought returned: _Don't give him time to escape_. I stripped down to my bra and panties and slipped into the water, figuring that since he was in his boxers, he had no room to talk. Again his sunglasses hid a lot of his expression, but I could see from the raised eyebrow and slight smirk that he wasn't going to complain.

"Where's Mouth?" Daryl asked, taking a sip of his beer.

"She's having dinner with her grandma. If you stick around long enough, you'll get to have some of the killer leftovers Marie promised to bring home." It was quiet for a few minutes, so I went to put music on. Now that I was soaking wet, I realized that my underwear didn't leave a whole lot to the imagination. _Fuck it_, I thought. _No one got what they wanted by being mousy_. Of course, that bravery only lasted until I got to where my towel was, and I wrapped that securely around me. "Did you like that Dr. Dog album I played for you last time?"

I kind of expected a half-hearted, "Yeah, it was good," from him. He surprised me by saying, "I liked it. It was kinda laid-back and...groovy?"

That made me feel _almost_ as good as when he kissed me. "OK, well, let's try this one. These guys are the Black Keys." While I did think he would like their garage-y, bluesy sound, in my humble opinion, the Black Keys wrote songs that were just sex, if sex was music. I thought maybe it was time to give Daryl a little push in the only way I knew how. As I dropped the towel and got back into the pool, I watched him checking me out from behind _my_ sunglasses, which gave me just the slightest bit of swagger. Once back in the water, though, I was completely at a loss about what to do next, so for want of a better idea, I closed my eyes and began floating around the pool.

Then I felt a hand clasp around my ankle, and I was suddenly underwater. I came up sputtering, "That was fucking _dirty, _sneaking up on me like that." I splashed water in his face and he grabbed me around the waist, tossing me into the deep end of the pool. For all of his shit about being _so much older_ than me, he was acting like any teenage boy who found himself alone in a pool with a girl. When I resurfaced again, he was right there. He grabbed me around the waist again and kissed me. It was fucking _fantastic_, making out with him in a crystal blue pool under the scorching late afternoon sunshine. _  
_

Quickly, he had me up against the edge of the pool, his mouth on my earlobe, neck, further south. I grabbed his ass, pulling him tight to me, grinding his hard-on into my hip. Then his hands were on my breasts, his tongue running down the curve that disappeared into my bra. "Come on," I panted, pulling away. I grabbed his hand and drug him upstairs, happy that he was offering absolutely no resistance this time.

Then Daryl Dixon, the unbelievably gorgeous god of sex, was _naked on my bed_. He lay back, propped up on his elbows to look at me. I slipped off my wet bra and undies and stood there uncomfortably for a second. I mean, I'd had a fair amount of sex in my teenaged life, but I had never slept with anyone even close to Daryl's league. I'd managed to get this far, but now I was suddenly unsure of what to do next. Daryl didn't make me stand there for long. He slid back over to me, sitting on the edge of the bed, and pulling me in between his legs. He started with my breasts, running his tongue along their modest curves, finally sliding his tongue around my nipples. I had to bite my lip to keep from crying out too loud. He kissed the hollow above my hips, a place I had never in my life imagined would be so fucking _delicious_. And then - and then! - he switched places with me, settling me on the edge of the bed, his mouth now finding it's way between my legs. There are no words to describe how un-fucking-believably amazing that was. I moaned and writhed and came _so hard_ that I think I stunned him just a little bit.

Daryl sat back on his heels while I just lay there, breathing heavily, a smile playing across his lips. Then he asked, "D'you have a condom? I have one but it's in m' pants which are out on th' deck."

"What?" I asked, dazed. "Oh yeah, hang on." Marie had optimistically stocked both of our bathrooms with kind of a ridiculously large quantity of condoms, so I went to fetch one. I had to brace myself on the wall because my legs did _not_ want to work. Daryl was stretched out on the bed when I returned, arms behind his head. _Holy mother of God, this man is perfection. _My knees buckled again just a little. I tossed the condom onto the mattress, not exactly sure what to do with myself again, so I sat back down awkwardly on the bed. _So how should I-? _I didn't have time to finish the thought, because Daryl was then kissing the back of my neck, another undiscovered-for-me erogenous zone. A moan escaped my lips.

"So, you wanna keep goin'?" he growled in my ear.

"God yes," I groaned. He grabbed me around the waist again, laid me down on the bed, and then _holyfuckingshit_ he was inside me. And oh my God was it incredible.

Afterwards, I lay next to him, tracing my fingers along the ridiculous muscles of his arm. "How are guns like this even possible? Wait...maybe you _are_ a superhero." We heard Marie come in rather noisily downstairs, probably wanting to give us fair warning. "Oooh, are you hungry? I'm going to guess you haven't had Puerto Rican food before either."

Daryl sat up. "Yeah, I'm fuckin' starvin', and nope I ain't had Puerto Rican food before." He looked around the floor before remembering his clothes were out on the deck. "Well, unless ya want me paradin' around in my boxers, I'm gonna need you to fetch my clothes for me."

_Marie might not mind that as much as you would_. "Oh yeah, I'll get them. Hang on." My clothes were also downstairs, so I threw on a sundress that was hanging in my closet. "Be right back." I headed downstairs, running into Marie who was unpacking a pile of tupperware full of leftovers. "Oh my God, that smells sooo good! I'm starving!"

"I bet you are." She looked me up and down with an amused grin on her face. "Well, it's about fucking time! I was wondering when I saw the piles of clothes out on the deck if you _finally_ got lucky." She leaned in and whispered, "So...how was it?"

"My mind is blown," I told her. "I'm surprised I'm still able to form a coherent sentence."

"You realize you are going to have to fill me in on the gory details later, right?"

"Oh, of course." I went out and fetched our clothes and ran back upstairs. Daryl was still laying right where I'd left him, so I paused to enjoy the view for a second. I tossed the pile of clothes on the bed and then crawled across it to kiss him. "I'm going to go downstairs. See you down there?"

0000000

I could hear a phone ringing, but it wasn't my ringtone. Sleepily, I picked up my phone and looked at it, just in case. I pushed on Daryl's shoulder to wake him. "Hey, I think that's your phone."

"Fuck," he said sleepily. "What time is it?" He swatted his hand on the nightstand a couple of times until he located his phone.

"3:30," I told him.

"Shit." Answering the phone, Daryl said, "What the fuck do you want?" Then his tone changed completely. "Shit...yeah, I know...sorry...don't worry, I'm takin' care of it." He laughed. "Yeah, that too, asshole. Yeah, see ya." He hung up the phone and rolled over, pulling me to him. "Sorry, was m' brother. I borrowed his truck, and he was worried 'bout it."

"Oh, OK." The phone call was already fading from my mind now that Daryl's warm body was pressed up against mine. It had been a while since I'd actually _slept_ with someone, and I guess I had forgotten just how nice it felt.


	4. Chapter 4

**Stella discovers a new interest.  
**

"OK, so spill it, woman," Marie said to me. Daryl had left early that morning, and Marie and I were drinking coffee at the kitchen like a couple of old ladies.

"Well, I think he might have ruined me for other guys," I said. "It was _so different_ than anything I've ever done." Marie's eyebrows rose, so I corrected her misapprehension. "It's not like what we _did_ was different, but how he did it. He's very...thorough."

"Yeah, they don't rush it, that's for damn sure," Marie agreed with a little smile.

"But the weird thing was, it was almost like he was afraid he was going to break me or something." I frowned, trying to think of the best way to describe it. "It's like he was holding back or something."

Marie considered that for a minute. "Hmm, I bet it's got to do with his hang-up about you being young."

"Yeah, probably. Not sure what to do to get around that, though, for the next time." I paused. "Shit, I hope there'll _be_ a next time!" That was an alarming thought, that maybe this was a one and done kind of thing. _How sad would that be?_

"Oh, don't worry about that," Marie laughed. "I guarantee you he'll be back for more."

0000000

Monday afternoon, Daryl showed up at the door. "Hey, come in," I said.

"Can't stay today, but I wanted to stop by an' say hi." He actually looked slightly and adorably shy when he said, "Shoulda called ya yesterday after Saturday an' all, but I guess I don't have your phone number."

I was seriously liking this Southern boy code. _Just good manners to call the next day. _I smiled. "It's fine. No big deal."

"So I gotta go. Gonna finally get my truck runnin' so I don't have my brother callin' me at all hours." Daryl leaned down and kissed me. "See ya Wednesday, right?"

"Yep, Wednesday." Closing the door behind him, I let out a little squeal and went to find Marie.

0000000

It took an eternity for Wednesday to finally get here. On Saturday, when we were feasting on leftovers, Marie made Daryl promise that he and Jimmy would come over for dinner. I think that now that I had gotten some action, she was reminded of what she was missing out on. It started out as Marie bragging on my cooking skills, which she inflated tremendously.

"Seriously, she is full of shit." I had told Daryl. "In college, people are impressed when you can _make_ pasta sauce instead of dumping it out of a jar. The bar is set incredibly low."

While we were eating, Marie had gotten into the freezer. "Oh fuck yeah!" she said. "We're gonna grill out. It's a carnivore's dream in there." She stood up and addressed Daryl, "OK, Wednesday night, right? But you bring your boy with you, or you won't be allowed in."

Daryl had agreed with a laugh and lived up to his promise, as he and Jimmy showed up after work, bearing a case of beer and a bottle of tequila.

"Hmmm," Marie said flirtatiously eying Jimmy. "You must have some big plans for the evening."

This time, we all immediately changed for swimming, and then the guys - of course - took care of the grilling, while Marie and I - of course - took care of the rest of dinner. We ate, swam, played a couple of drinking games, swam some more, and eventually retired to our respective bedrooms. As part of the bargain Daryl struck with Marie, he also had to promise that the both of them would stay the whole night, no taking off at two in the morning. We had learned why Jimmy always needed to leave. With a wicked grin and a great amount of enjoyment, Daryl told us, "You think that pretty boy just rolls out of bed ev'ry mornin', ready to go? Dude spends a fuckin' _lot_ of time gettin' ready. He wants to go home because that's where his fuckin' _product_ is."

So Marie made Daryl tell Jimmy under no uncertain terms that he was expected to stay, and that he should plan accordingly. I would have _loved_ to have been a fly on the wall for _that_ conversation. But I wasn't complaining if it meant I got Daryl for the whole night.

I was stretched out comfortably on top of Daryl, and he had his arms around me. "Marie wasn't lyin' 'bout your skills in the kitchen," Daryl remarked. "You really hate cookin' that much?"

"Like I said, I had to do a lot of it growing up, so I got pretty burnt out on it." I paused for a second, and then decided it was OK to have a serious conversation with Daryl. "My mom ran off when I was a baby, and then came back for a couple years. She took off for good when I was twelve. Dad did an amazing job taking care of us, but he needed a lot of help. I was the oldest - and way older than my brothers - so I picked up the slack."

Daryl was silent for a minute, listening. "My mama ran off, too, when I was a kid. _My_ dad was pretty worthless. A drunk. He's where the scars came from." I had noticed them but hadn't felt comfortable asking him about them, figuring it wasn't a story he liked to tell. I didn't say anything, just laid my head on his chest, listening. "M' brother Merle pretty much raised me. He's a decent guy, loyal as hell, but he's got his own shit, too." He was silent for a minute, then asked, "So you got brothers, too, huh? What're they like?"

Complicated was what I wanted to say, but I gave him a brief overview. "They're a lot younger. Louie is eleven and Henry is eight - no, he's nine now. Louie is kind of a brat, but I guess it's just because he's a kid. Do you know about autism?" I asked.

"Yeah, kinda, a little," Daryl replied.

"Henry has autism. He's really smart, but he has a lot of trouble with changes and just with people in general. Even though he's nine, he still has these major freak out tantrums when he's upset, so it can be kind of hard to deal with him. He drives Louie crazy, but my dad is _awesome_ with him." I sighed. "I wish I was home more to help. I was planning on going to UK so I wouldn't be so far away, but when I got the scholarship to OSU, Dad insisted I take it."

Daryl gave me a long, searching look. "I knew there was somethin' different 'bout you," he told me with a tone of admiration.

I smiled, but took the opportunity to change the subject. "Oh, so is _that_ why you finally decided it was OK to defile me?"

"_Defile _ya? Is that what yer callin' it?" he said with a smirk.

I just grinned at him, sitting up and slipping my shirt off. Daryl pulled me to him, kissing me. This time, it was my mouth traveling over his body. He was pretty responsive, so the reactions I got when I sucked on his earlobes, bit his nipples gently, and ran my tongue along that stupid-inducing hollow between his abs and his hips were _almost_ as pleasurable as if he was doing it to me. I slowly unbuttoned his shorts and followed with my mouth.

Daryl drew in a sharp breath and groaned slightly. Then he said, "Ya don't hafta do that."

"I don't _have_ to, but I want to." And without another comment, I slipped him into my mouth.

0000000

Friday morning, Marie and I were hard at work, cleaning the house. A bunch of our friends from college were coming down to stay the weekend and see Band of Horses, who had a show in Atlanta that night. About ten of them were coming, so we were trying to make the place presentable. While I was excited for the concert and to see my friends, I was disappointed that Daryl could not be convinced to join in on the fun.

"He says he'd feel _old_," I complained. "I think he'd have a good time if he'd just get over the age thing. At least you convinced Jimmy to come to the party on Saturday." I yanked the cord for the vacuum out of the wall. "I won't get to see Daryl all weekend, and our time is running out!"

"Yep," Marie sighed. "Only one more week. But he's going to be right next door. I'm sure you can convince him to come over again."

"I hope so," I said. _If I could only convince him to just stay here the whole week, then I might feel like it was enough time._

She looked at me seriously. "You aren't getting too attached, right? You know there's no way what you've got here is going to continue once we leave."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Maybe I would have been better off with a box of rocks, like Jimmy. Daryl is actually really _deep_, too." I sat down on the couch.

"True, but think about it this way: this will be an incredible memory for you. This is total unreality here, you know. No real life to intrude on the fun. Things would be pretty different if it was a day-in, day-out regular old boyfriend/girlfriend type relationship," Marie told me.

"I know, I know. You're right." I sighed again then stood up. "C'mon, we should go to the grocery store so we have something to feed these people. I can't believe how much we've eaten since we've been here."

Marie laughed. "And how much we _drank_! I'm glad Theo and Melissa are twenty-one, so they can at least help us restock the liquor." She grabbed her keys. "Quit pining for a guy who's still right next door and let's go."

0000000

"Oh my God, Marie's boy is _hot_!" Molly crowed in my ear. "Where is yours? I so _totally_ should have come house-sitting with you guys!"

I just smiled and shrugged, my lungs full of pot smoke. The music was loud, so it was easy to not have to address the question. "C'mon, let's dance," I exhaled. I'm not one to just go out for a night of dancing, but I defy you to stand still when _Midnight Vultures_ is playing. For only fifteen of us, we had a pretty rocking party going. We were plenty drunk and in the process of getting plenty high to go along with it. The music was blasting, and I was exceedingly grateful there were no neighbors to contend with here. A bunch of people were dancing, but there were a couple of people hanging out on the deck or swimming. "Theo, dance up on me," I told my friend.

Theo obliged, grabbing my hips and grinding up against me. This always made me giggle because Theo was Gay. Gay with a capital G because, as he put it, he set off every gaydar within five miles whenever he walked into a room. Oh, and he also like to refer to himself as my "sassy gay friend." So yeah, there was no question about whose team Theo was on. As an example of his Gayness, as he was grinding on me, he said sympathetically, "Aw honey, are you missing your booty call boy?" That made me laugh, but before I could say something back, Theo's fingers dug into my arm and he gasped, "Oh holy night, Sex just walked in the door."

At the same time, Amanda yelled in my ear, "Sweet baby Jesus! Is _that_ your boy, Stella? Marie was _not _lying_. _He is _smoking._"

I opened my eyes to see Daryl slouched against the porch railing, cigarette in one hand, beer in the other, eyes riveted on me. "Good God," Molly panted, "and you have seen him _naked?" _I just smiled. The excitement I felt at seeing Daryl was filtered through the layer of weed and alcohol that was clouding my brain. I met Daryl's stare for a minute and then went back to dancing. When the song ended I strolled over to him, just the sight of him making the hair on the back of my neck prickle. As I was walking, Max handed me a joint, and I brought it over to Daryl. I took a hit off of it and handed it to Daryl, without saying a word. He took a long draw off of it, holding the smoke in. He gave me the wickedest of his wicked grins, pulled me to him for a kiss, and exhaled the smoke slowly into my mouth.

In the background, from far far away, I could hear Theo mutter, "Jesus Christ, I am _totally_ getting a hard-on just _watching_ this."

I breathed out the shotgunned smoke. "Glad you could make it."

Daryl had a laugh in his voice when he told me, "Just got lonely sittin' home by m'self."

We each took one more hit off the joint, and I called over to Max, "Come take this before we smoke the whole fucking thing." I discovered that I was singing under my breath and wiggling my hips to the music.

Daryl put his hand behind my head, kissing me hard, his tongue sliding just so briefly against mine. "Go back and dance with your friends," he growled.

I eyed him for a second, not sure what was going on but I decided that I liked it, whatever _it_ was. I floated back to join my friends, feeling Daryl's eyes following me the whole time.

Theo chastised me. "The hell are you over here with us for? Take that gorgeous man upstairs."

My skin tingled under Daryl's gaze, and I just smiled at Theo and kept on dancing. One glance, and there was Daryl with Jimmy and Marie, listening to whatever they are saying but keeping his eyes on me. Another glance at him, and he was smoking a joint Amanda handed him, still staring at me. A third glance, and he was gone. I was suddenly insatiably curious, and I went to look for him. I crept up the stairs, feeling like I was hunting some kind of rare, wild creature. Down the hall, I was ambushed. Daryl pushed me up against the wall, kissing me. Impulsively, I pushed him to the other wall, kissing him and then biting him on the earlobe. Feeling him tense up, I whispered in his ear, "Don't hold back."

Daryl stared at me for a second. "What?"

I smirked at him. "You know. Just...don't hold back." To underline my point, I ran my tongue down his neck and bit him again.

His mouth on mine, one hand on my ass, Daryl pushed me through the bedroom door and onto the bed. I was breathing hard already, equal parts exhilarated and terrified at just what the hell I had started, but the fuzz in my brain wouldn't let me contemplate it too long. We stared at each other for a minute, and then I grabbed the front of his shirt and yanked him down on top of me. I pulled his head down to meet mine and kissed him long and hard, snaking my tongue around his, biting his lower lip as I pulled away. He slid his hand up my shirt and squeezed my breast, then pinched my nipple. I tossed my head back, groaning. Suddenly, all bets were off. He yanked my shirt off, sliding both hands inside my bra, bringing his mouth my breasts, licking and biting. I twitched and moaned and dug my fingernails into his back. I grabbed his hair to pull his head back, and I put my mouth on his neck, sucking so I would leave a mark. He _growled _and pinned both of my wrists above my head with one hand, the other sliding his hand up my skirt. He thrust a finger inside me, then two, and I cried out in surprise and pleasure. I opened my eyes for a second to see him watching my face, so I stared right back at him as he made me come. Daryl started quickly undoing his belt buckle and his pants, and I finished the job for him, yanking them to the floor. I pushed him back up against the opposite wall and dropped to my knees in front of him, sliding him into my mouth. This time _I_ watched as _his_ face contorted in pleasure which made me want to fuck him _so bad. _ I brought him right to the edge and then stopped, and he pushed me back onto the bed, laying his full weight on me. We kissed and bit and licked and pinched, and then I whispered, "Stop."

Daryl froze. He bit my shoulder, let out a strangled, frustrated groan, and then rolled off of me. I had no intention of actually stopping the fun here, but my stomach did a somersault of excitement at the effect that one little word had on him. He watched me as I rolled over, sticking my ass in the air. "Come on," I said teasingly. He did not need to be told twice. He fucked me once, and then again for good measure.

Rolling off of me onto his back, Daryl moaned, "Sweet Jesus, woman, what're ya doin' to me?"

I didn't respond. I just pressed my sweaty, naked body up against him, nipped him on the ear once more, and then passed out.

0000000

I woke up with a start, but it took me a minute to sort out what the hell was going on. Daryl was getting dressed. "Fuck! Motherfucking redneck piece of shit! _Fuck_," he was cursing under his breath.

"What is it? What's going on?" Suddenly I could hear a raised voice downstairs. I didn't recognize it, but I could tell by the tone that whoever it was wasn't exactly friendly. "Who is that?" Daryl didn't answer me. He just kept cursing and went downstairs. I followed suit, groaning slightly at my soreness, a little afraid to see who was down there in the kitchen.


	5. Chapter 5

**Should have said so sooner, but thanks to all of you guys who are following and reviewing! It's what's keeping me churning out the fanfic instead of working on the million other stories I've got started. :D MaddyMarie - I thought I _was_ being detailed! ;) But I'm going to accept your challenge and try to write a "quick & dirty" one-shot once this one's wrapped up. **

**Stella hides out.**

As I was coming down the stairs, I heard the voice again. "Thought you college kids knew how t' party!"

Then Jimmy's voice: "Hey Merle, c'mon outside and smoke up with me."

_Merle_. Daryl's _brother_ was here? As I came into the kitchen, I saw Daryl leaning against the refrigerator, glaring at Merle. Everyone else had kind of shrunk away to the edges of the room. Merle looked like he had about ten years on Daryl, close shaven hair, tattoos, a cut under his left eye that looked pretty fresh, and a menacing aura that was _terrifying_. He leered at Molly and Amanda. "Dunno, Jimmy. Can you get these hot bitches t' join us?" My friends all just stood there, frozen in place. I could safely say that none of us had ever been in a room with someone as threatening as Merle before, so nobody knew how to react. If they were like me, Merle made them want to _run_.

Merle looked at Daryl, eyebrows raised, "So Little Brother, this is what yer doin' with yerself these days, partyin' with _kids_? They seem like kind of a drag, if ya ask me." Daryl just continued to scowl at him. I could feel the fury radiating off of Daryl in waves. I wasn't sure what was going to happen next, but I was pretty fucking sure I didn't want to witness it. I put a hand on Daryl's arm and could feel that every muscle was coiled like a snake.

Then Merle turned his attention on me. As he moved towards me, I shrunk back against Daryl. "So this is the little piece of ass you've been spendin' so much time with." He spied the bruises Daryl's fingers had left on my arm. "So what, was she misbehavin' or somethin'?" Then he looked more closely at Daryl, who didn't shrink away from him, but actually stood up straighter and took a step towards Merle. Merle spotted the mark I'd left on Daryl's neck. "Shit, man! Does your little girl here like it _rough_?" He laughed. "Fuck yeah!" He leaned in closer to me again. "I bet she's got a _nice_..._tight_-"

And that was all he got out because Daryl sprung at him and tackled him to the floor. Again, we all stood there staring like a deer in headlights. I can say with absolute certainty that none of us had _ever_ witnessed a fight like this before. It wasn't just brotherly wrestling. It was two guys who acted like they wanted the other one _dead_. They rolled around on the floor, knocking into furniture, and people jumped to get out of the way. Merle put Daryl's head through a wall, and Daryl reopened the cut over Merle's eye plus a couple more inches.

Finally, people began to scream at them to stop. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. Jimmy, Max and Rob tried to pry the two of them apart, but ended up with some bruises of their own for their trouble. Finally Marie doused them both with a fire extinguisher, which if nothing else shocked the hell out of the both of them, and they stopped. She glared at Merle, trembling with fury and fear. "Get. The. Fuck. Out."

"Aw, Jesus Christ ya fuckin' wetback bitch," Merle spit at her, a big grin spreading across his face again. He wiped foam off his face, shaking it off like a dog. "Ain't ya never seen brothers fightin'? Thought they did this kinda shit all the time where you come from."

Daryl made a move like he was going to pummel Merle again, but Marie just shook her head at him. "Get the fuck out. _Now_. Before I call the cops."

"Ooooh, _call the cops_," Merle mocked her. But he headed for the door, muttering, "Thought you college kids knew how to _party_." In a minute, we heard the sound of an engine starting, and Merle drove away.

Daryl continued to stand there panting, his blood mixing with the foam that was clinging to him, a murderous look in his eyes. I stared at him, but honestly was too freaked out to take a step closer. Quietly, the rest of the group filtered back outside. Marie looked around at the mess in the kitchen, then sighed, got another drink, and joined everyone else on the patio. Daryl met my eyes for a second, and the combination of embarrassment and unadulterated fury I saw there was too much for me, so I looked away. Without another word, he left.

0000000

"Jesus Christ, I can honestly say I've never had a party like _that_ before." Marie and I were standing in the kitchen, staring at the hole that Daryl's head had left in the drywall.

"Shit, Marie, I'm _really_ sorry about all that." I still hadn't been able to sort out my thoughts and emotions about the giant fuck scene that last night had turned out to be. I had pretty much just been wandering around the house aimlessly all day, my thoughts a blur.

"Not your fault." She looked me over and asked me for the millionth time. "Are _you_ OK?" I know the marks and bruises that she saw on me rattled her, but I had felt weirdly shy about explaining them to her. We had no secrets, but the weird developments of last night were a new horizon for me and from what I knew of Marie, which was pretty much everything, it would be a new one on her, too.

"Yeah." I paused for a second and then sat down on a stool. "So last night, when Daryl and I went upstairs, you know? I told him not to hold back." Marie looked slightly alarmed, so I continued, gesturing to the bruises on my arm. "I started this whole crazy _thing_. I egged him on. And the craziest thing about it was, I _liked_ it."

Now a grin spread across Marie's face. We were into territory she was comfortable with. "Reeeally? Here I was, thinking I knew everything about you, and I find out my nerdy little friend likes it _rough_."

That made me laugh, which felt so good given how tense I'd been since last night. After Daryl had stormed off, I had dazedly gone outside. Marie and Theo sat on either side of me, and we quietly passed a bottle of tequila back and forth between the three of us. A short time later, everyone started to go to bed so I followed suit, although I couldn't sleep at all. Finally as the sun was coming up, I dozed off, but got up again a couple hours later to clean up the mess downstairs. Marie came down early, too, and we worked together to get things back in order while the others slept.

Marie poured us both coffee and sat down next to me. "Would you do it again?" she asked me.

I thought for a second. "Maybe? It was really... Exhilarating, I guess is the best word for it. It's like you're walking a line that's kinda terrifying and kinda unbelievably _sexy _at the same time." I took a sip of my coffee. "But the craziest thing was that at one point, like right in the middle of _everything_, I told him to stop - literally I just said the word stop - and he _stopped_. It was scary and fun like a roller coaster as opposed to, I don't know, shooting heroin. I knew I was still safe."

Marie shook her head and said admiringly, "You never cease to amaze me, Stella. But what do you make of the brotherly brawling?"

"Jesus Christ, I've never met anyone in my life who's scarier than Merle!"

"Oh fuck, me neither! That guy was _terrifying_. He was like a movie villain come to life in my fucking kitchen."

"It really freaked me out to see Daryl lose his shit like that," I admitted. "It's like, it wasn't a surprise necessarily because I could kinda feel that anger just below the surface, but it still scared the hell out of me to see him snap." I considered for a second. "Maybe if I grew up in a different environment, I'd be able to just blow it off as nothing, but I didn't, so I don't think I can."

Marie asked, "So you're not going to see him again before we leave?"

I shook my head. "I don't think so. Besides, I doubt he'll show his face around here again. I get the feeling he was pretty fucking embarrassed about the whole thing." I sighed. "It was so much better when Real Life kept its distance."

"Yeah, Real Life sucks ass. I wish it would just take a hike." Marie laughed. "So, hey, Jimmy invited us to go to the beach for a couple days, later this week. He and some buddies rented a house down there, and he said we are welcome to come with. Daryl's not coming," she added quickly. "Wanna go?"

"Huh, I don't know. Yeah, maybe? Let me think about it." For some reason, a trip to the beach with a bunch of guys didn't sound too appealing right now. I just wanted peace and quiet for a little while to get my head straight before it was time to head back home.

"OK, I don't have to go either. We can just stay here and chill out," Marie said with a smile.

"Seriously, you should go whether I do or not. You know how I love being left to my own devices." I seriously did _love_ having a house to myself.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah, I know. You are _so_ weird. I've never met someone who digs time by herself as much as you do." She stood up. "Well, think about it, at least. You can always join us at the last minute. Now, how the hell do we fix this hole?"

0000000

_You led no celibate life  
no skirt  
while chemicals danced on your head!_  
_You stole the keys to this ride  
and your fables  
are falling tonight!_

A couple of days later, Marie had headed to the beach, and I was holed up in the media room. She really didn't want to leave me alone, but I assured her I was _fine_ and that I'd enjoy the time alone as much as she'd enjoy the beach. Strewn across the coffee table were an empty bag of Doritos (Cool Ranch, of course), a half-drunk two liter of Dr. Pepper, and a melting pint of Ben and Jerry's Uncanny Cashew. The massive TV was on mute, showing a marathon of _Star Trek: The Next Generation. _I had the Shins on at highest volume and was belting out the lyrics at the top of my lungs.

I decided that I was going to go see if there was any pot left, as that was the only element missing from a full-on orgy of laziness and geekery. As I got to the top of the stairs, I noticed that it was raining for the first time since we'd been here. I heard a noise, and there was Daryl, frozen. Of course, I about jumped out of my skin. "For fuck's sake, Daryl, you need to quit _scaring_ me!" I immediately realized that was a bad choice of words in light of recent events. We both stood there awkwardly for a minute, an expression of guilt passing quickly over Daryl's face.

He looked down at his hands, which were covered with drywall dust. "I knocked but I guess ya couldn't hear. I'm finishin' fixin' the hole." He'd come on Monday to patch the hole, but I had hidden out in my room so I could avoid seeing him again.

"Yeah, thanks for that," I told him.

Daryl didn't say anything more - just went back to his work. I studied him for a minute. I could see the red mark I'd left on his neck starting to fade, along with a cut on his chin and a yellowing bruise under his eye, which I assumed had come from Merle. I stood rooted in place, not sure what to do. Now that Daryl was here, I had the intense desire to talk to him about the shit that had gone down at the party between us _and_ between him and Merle, but didn't know how to start. Or maybe I just wanted him to kiss me so we could forget about all that shit instead. Instead, I watched him finish sanding the patch and then roll on a coat of paint.

"Wow, you won't even be able to tell what happened once that paint dries," I commented, honestly surprised by his expert handiwork.

Daryl didn't respond. He stood up and went to wash his hands, but wouldn't look at me. He gathered up his tools. "OK, well, I'm gonna go."

"Wait." The word came out before I had a chance to even think about what I wanted.

Daryl finally met my eyes, his face a mixture of resignation and guilt.

"Don't leave yet," I said quietly.

He sighed. "Prob'ly better I just go now."

"No." I paused and then let out a sigh of my own. "It's so much better when Real Life doesn't intrude."

Daryl laughed bitterly. "Hard to avoid it."

I started to warm to the idea. "No, look. We can lock the doors, shut the shades, and just hole up here." I closed the distance between us in two steps, putting my hand on his arm. "What do you think?"

He shook his head slightly, the expression of guilt on his face overtaking the other. He gently touched the bruise on my neck. "Jesus, look what I fuckin' _did_ to you."

I put my fingertips on the bruise on _his _neck. "Look what _I_ did to _you_. You're not allowed to feel bad about that. I was just as much a part of it as you were." I held his gaze with my own for a minute. "And when I told you to stop, you _stopped_. You didn't do anything _wrong_."

Daryl broke away from my stare, looking at the now-patched hole in the kitchen wall. "What about that?"

"That was kind of scary," I was forced to admit. "Your brother is a truly terrifying human being."

"Yeah, well maybe I am, too," he muttered, still looking at the wall.

I put my hand on his face. "_You_ don't scare me." At that moment, with just the two of us in the kitchen, the rain pouring down outside, it was completely true. I kissed him and then smiled softly. "What do you think? Want to hide out from Real Life? At least for tonight?"

Taking my face in his hands, Daryl kissed me, taking my breath away again. It was all it took to melt any last reservations that might have been hiding in the recesses of my brain. His hands on my body were feather-light, tickling over my skin. Soon we were both naked on the kitchen floor. It had only been days since we had last been together, but the intensity of every movement made it seem like it had been _years_. We couldn't keep our hands or mouths on any one place. Finally, he slowly, _slowly _slid inside me. I gasped and closed my eyes so I could feel every. single. sensation. I cried out when I came, and he groaned and lay down gently on me when he did. The weight of him on me was incredible.

0000000

"You should sing more. You got a good voice," Daryl said quietly. We were lying now on the living room floor, side by side. I had my iPod and one headphone was in Daryl's ear and one was in mine. I was playing DJ, picking out songs I thought he'd like, and giving him a commentary about the bands. He was laughing at my unabashed nerdiness.

Now it was my turn to laugh at him. "You mean the singing you overheard was something you'd actually _want_ to hear again? You sound like Marie. She's always trying to get me to join her band."

"Why doncha?" Daryl took my hand in his and traced my knuckles with a calloused finger.

"Because then I'd have to get up on _stage_ and sing for _people_." There was not enough money in the world to convince me to do that.

"Sing me somethin'." He kissed the hand he'd been holding.

"What? Just sing? Sing what?"

"Don't care. This song. Whatever"

I laughed again, but for some reason did as he asked. I sung quietly and was surprised that a randomly chosen song had such apt lyrics for this situation, especially the refrain.

_But I know  
__How bad it can get  
__But I don't mind, baby  
__I don't mind  
__But I know  
__How soon you'll forget  
__Time keeps wearin', baby  
__Time takes care of me__  
_

Daryl was quiet for so long after I finished singing that I asked if he regretted asking me. After a pause, he said thoughtfully, "Nah, just thinking about the words." He kissed me again. I turned off the music then, and we just listened to the rain pour down

0000000

I was awoken by a phone ringing and Daryl's rough, half asleep voice as he answered it. The rain continued to drum on the roof. Hanging up the phone, Daryl buried his face in the back of my neck, muttering, "Got the day off. Not lookin' like it's gonna quit rainin' any time soon." He wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him. Practically purring with contentment, I fell back to sleep.

0000000

The next time I woke, it was to Daryl's warm, wet mouth on my neck. I pressed my back into his chest and tilted my head so that there was more room for him to continue kissing me. One of his hands slid up from my waist and he cupped my breast, running a rough fingertip over my nipple. I arched my back and groaned. Once he had all of my nerve endings tingling, he slipped his hand down between my legs. He took his time, his finger moving in languid circles until I was literally trembling. I reached an arm over my head, my hand in his hair, as I twitched and moaned. When I came, it felt like the waves coursed through me for _hours_. He held me close to him as my racing pulse slowed. Then I rolled over, slid down his body, and took him into my mouth. I followed the pace he had set, slowly moving my head up and down, running my tongue along the length of his dick. He wrapped his hand in my hair, shuddering and finally coming with a groan that sounded like it had been building for days.

**The first lyrics are from "The Celibate Life" by the Shins, the second set are from "Ain't It Strange," by Dr. Dog.  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hit the road, Stella**

"So how did you end up so much different than your brother?" I asked. Now there was a half-eaten pizza at the end of the bed, a beer on the table on Daryl's side, a glass of water on my side.

Daryl exhaled a cloud of smoke and handed the pipe back to me. He raised an eyebrow. "Whatcha mean?"

"He's crazy. Like batshit crazy. And did you hear what he said to Marie? Fucking _racist_." I was pretty stoned, so my words were slow and thick. Instead of taking another hit, I set the bowl on the nightstand.

"Cut him some slack. It was just how he was raised." Daryl lay back on the pillow and I lay on my side, watching him talk. "I owe him a lot. He ran interference 'tween me and our dad when he was 'round, then took care a' me after Dad was gone."

"What about the shit he said to _me_?"

"What the fuck you think I stomped his ass for?" Daryl asked, a tinge of irritation entering his voice.

His explanation didn't fly with me, but I also didn't want to spend time arguing when we had so little of it left, so I let it go. "Merle was gone a lot when you were a kid?"

"Spent a lot of time in juvie." Daryl paused for a minute. "So I took care a' myself a lot, too. Spent a lotta time out in the woods, huntin' and shit." He kissed me on top of my head. "Merle's not so bad as he seems. And we're really not that different."

I was quiet as I considered how different Daryl's life was than mine. What a weird thing that we were here, together.

"So what's college life like?" Daryl asked. "Can't say I've ever known anyone goin' to college."

"I like it. I like going to school and learning. I think I could be a student for the rest of my life," I told him.

"So what're ya gonna be when you grow up?"

I giggled at his choice of words. Somehow his reference to me being a kid didn't bother me anymore. "A scientist, I guess. Honestly, I'm not real sure. I just know I like biology and I like plants. So something with that," I said uncertainly. "What do _you_ want to be when _you_ grow up?"

"Shit, I'm not grown up yet? Feels like I been grown up for decades now," Daryl chuckled.

"OK, if you could do anything with your life, what would you do?" I asked, rephrasing my question.

"Huh, I dunno." He thought for a minute, while I marveled at the fact that he hadn't ever considered this before. "I guess I'd just get a cabin in the woods where I could hunt and fish, and no one would bother me." He grinned at me and added, "Well, except hot chicks who stopped by."

I sighed. "Sounds like heaven. You should make it happen."

"Ain't so easy to get the world to do what you want it to."

"Seriously, it's your life, so you gotta at least _try_. You're a smart guy; you could pull it off." I raised up on my elbow, looking at him.

Daryl just laughed. "You got me confused with someone else."

"I've only known you for a couple of weeks, but already I've seen you fix my car, repair a hole in the wall so no one can tell, and wire a house. You're not _stupid_, that's for damn sure."

"Wirin' a house? How did you see that? You spyin' on me?" Daryl asked, grinning lazily.

I just smiled. "I've got a good view from my deck." I continued seriously, not wanting him to miss my point, "You're a lot smarter about more important things than most of the guys in my classes. Sure, they can analyze the causes of the American Revolution, but what the fuck does _that_ really matter? You're smart about the things that count."

Daryl was quiet, considering what I'd just said, but then changed the subject. He stretched and ran his fingers down my spine. "How's a shower sound to ya? I'm thinkin' I might get lonely in there."

I was annoyed for a second that he might not have heard what I was trying to tell him, but a shower with Daryl sounded too good to miss. "Sounds delicious."

0000000

"So will ya think 'bout me when you're back with those college boys?" Daryl asked. His tone was playful, but there was an undercurrent of seriousness that I couldn't miss.

I was really not wanting to go down this road, but it was already Sunday morning and Marie and I would be leaving in mere hours. I had been hoping just to end with a lighthearted good-bye and was about to make a glib comment as a reply but I changed my mind, saying instead, "Yeah, but I probably shouldn't. What about you?" I lay my head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat.

"Funny Girl, you're not like _any_ other girl I ever met. Ain't no way I'll forget about you." He kissed me. "And one day I'll be tellin' my grandkids this crazy story about a wild summer I had way back when."

I laughed in spite of myself. "You would tell your grandkids about _this_?" I gestured to our naked bodies. "You will be the world's creepiest grandpa."

Now he laughed and wrapped me in his arms, hugging me tight. We lay their silently for the last hour we had together. I ran my fingers up and down his arms, and he played with my hair. We hadn't made any promises to keep in touch or anything like that. I think we both understood that there would be no point to it. We realized that what we had here wouldn't stand up to the monotony and responsibilities of Real Life. It would be better just to preserve this whole time as a near perfect memory.

0000000

Marie was in the passenger seat, having said good-bye to Jimmy yesterday when they'd come back from the beach. From the sound of it, she was definitely over the previous boyfriend _and_ her summer fling with the box of rocks. She was ready to get back home.

I was standing on the sidewalk, getting one last kiss from Daryl. When he pulled away, he looked at me and said, "Had a pretty fuckin' incredible coupla weeks with ya, Funny Girl. Ya take care, OK?"

"You, too," I replied. "And who the hell knows, maybe we'll run into each other again someday."

"Maybe so," Daryl told me. "Stranger things've happened."

After one last kiss, I got in the car. In my rearview mirror, I could see Daryl hold up a hand in good-bye. I did the same, started up my engine, and Marie and I headed back to Real Life.

**Thanks again to all my faithful followers and reviewers! I am going to do a smutty one-shot (for MaddyMarie!) that I'm calling "Keeper" and I have another pre-ZA fic that will take our delightful Mr. Dixon up to the start of S1. That one I'm tentatively calling "A Fragile Thread." **


End file.
